My daughter is living near St Gallen, so my son and I are heading for a visit. I know NOTHING about he area. Any must see's?? Looking for some advice!!
Posted by
New Paltz, NY
9100 posts
I haven't visited that part of Switzerland yet, but St Gallen is very near the Appenzell region. Rick has a chapter dedicated to it in his guidebook. Here's a clip from one of his TV shows:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MnnKHu11GMc
Posted by
Lake Forest, CA, USA
1633 posts
I would go to a German Christmas Market. Munich's is very popular. It's about a 3-4 hr train trip so you might want to stay overnight. If you ski, you are very close to the best skiing in Austria. St. Anton is not too far. Appenzell is also one of my favorites. All of these areas should have lots of snow by the time of your arrival. Have fun making lifetime memories with the kids!
Posted by
Danville, VT
12040 posts
Most towns in Switzerland should have a Christmas market, so don´t feel you need to go all the way to Germany, much less Munich.
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32212 posts
Edward, At that time of year, Switzerland will likely be somewhat "quiet" as the local residents get ready for Christmas. I assume you'll be flying into one of the larger cities in Switzerland? Train travel from there to St. Gallen will be relatively easy. For example, if you're arriving in Zurich, the trip from the airport to St. Gallen is only about an hour. You might find if helpful to have a look at the Switzerland Guidebook for sightseeing choices in the area. You might enjoy a day trip to Appenzell (only about 45M. from St. Gallen). There's not a lot to see there, but it's an easy town for walking and there are some nice shops. Happy travels!
Posted by
Vancouver, BC, Canada
47 posts
Hi Edward,
We have been to Switzerland many times but is is always in the Spring or June. We have been to St Gallen. It is a beautiful old town. Window boxes dating back to 600. Make sure to visit Shiftsbibliothek Abby Library where the old manuscripts date back to 400. My cousin is a Professor at the Basel University and he suggested this to us. If your daughter lives there she probably knows about it. If you have not been to Switzerland before I would definitely take the time to see old Zurich and old Basel. I think all these quaint streets and buildings will be beautiful at Christmas. The trains are excellent in Switzerland and you might look into getting a pass because they cover all transportation. Appenzell was really worth seeing in June and I hiked up the hills and took some wonderful photographs but in December you may just have to play your days by ear as to the weather. AND - even if you don't ski it would be worth taking a trip up the mountain just to get the view and atmosphere. Enjoy.
Posted by
OP
Toledo, OH, USA
2 posts
Thank you all for responding. The Matterhorn was on my list of must see's. Appensell's also. Are there any sites, like castles or museum's that are must see's?? We are really looking forward to the trip! Thanks again!
Posted by
New Paltz, NY
9100 posts
Switzerland's most popular museum is in Luzern: The Transport Museum. It's a bit like the Smithsonan Air & Space museum, and it's open everyday...including xmas. Luzern is also a beautiful city. Also excellent is the official Olympics Museum in Lausanne. For something a bit weird check out the HR Giger muesum in Gruyere. He's the Sci-Fi artist who created the aliens in the movie Alien.
Posted by
Maple Grove, MN, USA
25 posts
My children even liked the Abby in St Gallen. We are making our first winter trip to Switzerland for CHristmas and New Years. We loved the Jung Frau and think we may go to another peak on our visit. If you are into anything military you might want to visit one of the old WW2 underground military sites. It is truly amazing what the Swiss people did to protect the country if they needed to.